"I think this is the most energized and inspiring group of people I have been around," said Lucia Sayre, co-chair of the HFHC program and Co-Director, Bay Area Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility.

The request by Friends of the Earth and other environmental groups including PSR was the latest skirmish in a long-running battle over a plan by Calgary-based TransCanada to build a massive pipeline to carry crude oil extracted from tar sands in Alberta to refineries in Texas.

The news conference is being held by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Cal., the chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and will include public health experts from the American Lung Association and Physicians for Social Responsibility.

President Obama recently ordered EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to withdraw the EPA’s proposed national ambient air quality standard for ground-level ozone. This order, which ignores the scientific advice of the EPA’s own scientists, will allow ozone concentrations to continue unabated at levels that contribute to thousands of premature deaths and heart attacks each year.

Lucia Sayre, co-executive director at the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of PSR, says tapping the power and respect of the medical community can provide the necessary boost to change the food industry.

PSR joined the League of Women Voters in launching the “Promise Campaign,” a national drive that invites people and organizations to pledge to protect America's children and families from dangerous air pollution and to support policies that safeguard air quality.